![]() ![]() Laboratory tests can support a clinical diagnosis, but should not be used on their own to confirm or rule out a current Lyme disease diagnosis. Your doctor will consider whether your symptoms and risk factors suggest Lyme disease when deciding whether you need a Lyme disease test. By that time, Lyme disease is harder to treat, and long-term complications are more likely, so an early, accurate diagnosis is very important. That’s why Lyme disease cases may be missed, and as many as 40% of Lyme disease cases are not diagnosed until a later stage of the disease. Using today’s tests, it is difficult to distinguish between an old Lyme disease infection and a new one. This may result in Lyme diagnoses being missed because symptoms are attributed to another illness. ![]() Symptoms of Lyme disease like fever and body aches can also be caused by other illnesses. It is also possible that a person may not notice a rash before it goes away. But up to 30% of people who get Lyme disease never get a rash. The only sure sign of Lyme disease is an erythema migrans (EM) rash, which often has a bullseye shape. That’s because Lyme disease tests look for proteins created by your immune system to help you fight off infection (antibodies), rather than for the infection itself, and it can take a few weeks for your body to make enough antibodies to cause a positive test. Tests are less accurate for a short period of time after you first become infected. ![]() There are several reasons it can be hard to diagnose Lyme disease. ![]()
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